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"When we launched the search for our next head coach, I wanted to find a leader that could take us to the next level and I am confident we have found that in Matt Patricia," Quinn said in a statement Monday. "He has been preparing for this opportunity his entire career, and he's ready for the responsibility and its challenges.

"Matt is driven to succeed, has extreme passion for the game and excels in preparation. He embodies the same hard-working, blue-collar attributes that represent our organization and the great City of Detroit."

Joe King – Former head coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute:

"I think he has a lot of the qualities that are necessary to be a good head coach," King told detroitlions.com. "You talk about how smart he is and his work ethic, and you can't be in a better place than working under (Bill) Belichick as far as learning how to be successful, but I think (Patricia) is a good teacher.

"I'm not sure all head coaches are great teachers and I think that's necessary because that's what coaching is all about. You're trying to get these guys from one point to another, whether it's on the high school level or college level or pro level. You're trying to get them better."

Tom Brady – Patriots quarterback:

"I think Matt is a great leader," Brady told the New York Daily News. "He's got a great personality and he works his tail off. He's got a tremendous amount of respect from all the players. Just a great coach. I love Matt."

Patrick Graham – Former Patriots defensive line and linebackers coach and current Packers linebackers coach and run-game coordinator:

"He works hard every day. Every day. He gets better as a coach every day," Graham told ESPN.com. "He's one of the smartest people I've ever been around. He's one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever been around. He's just a good people person, a good coach and he's demanding of players and the coaches around him.

"Here's what's unique about Matt, that's similar to (Patriots coach Bill) Belichick. Oftentimes when people are described as intelligent, people think they're smarter than they are hard-working," Pioli told The Detroit News.

"And when people are characterized as hard-working, people believe they're more hard-working than smart. Matt, similar to Bill, is both brilliant and hard-working at similarly high levels."

Devin McCourty – Patriots safety:

"I just think that the thing to me about Matty P. is his consistency with his energy and passion," McCourty told the Patriots Wire. "You're not going to get him to lower his standards. He expects the best out of the first group we put on the field, the last group, in training camp, in the spring.

"You know, we got cursed out in the spring for giving up touchdowns in seven-on-seven red area where the ball started at the 7-yard line. Sometimes you get mad at that, but if you're wise enough to realize that that's what helps you become a better individual player and collectively a better defense."

Kyle Van Noy – Former Lion and current Patriots linebacker:

"Matt loves the game of football," Van Noy told detroitlions.com. "He's very passionate from all aspects. He has a high standard. He just wants to be successful and he's done that and I think he's going to continue to do that as coach of the Lions."

Alan Branch – Patriots defensive lineman:

"Determined. I have to say (Patricia) is determined," Branch told detroitlions.com. "You would think he's a football player the way he prepares for the game. He gives it his all. He doesn't leave nothing on the field. That's why I say he's determined."

Rob Ninkovich – Former Patriots outside linebacker:

"I think he has a great ability to understand and get the best out of each player based on where is this guy from, what's his background," Ninkovich told NBCsports.com. "Maybe this guy you can't push this guy this way but maybe you can say something insulting to and he'll go out there and play hard and play lights out. He understands each guy is different, understand how to like to relate to each guy because they're all from different backgrounds, they're all from different upbringings.

"He'd give me the eyes. You know that look? Let's go. Do better. Better. Better. More. More. More. That pushes you to a different level."

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